Dazzling jewels meets movement art
Ballet National de Marseille + (LA) HORDE, Age of Content, photo Gaëlle Astier-Perret
Words | Fiyon gibson
reviews | Jacquelyn Tepper & Taylor Anderson
Van Cleef & Arpels’ ‘Dance Reflections’ returns to London at four iconic venues – here’s a look back at the first week of festivities
Dazzling jewels meets movement art at a dynamic four-week festival, celebrating contemporary choreography and the freshest artistic works. Dance Reflections, by Van Cleef & Arpels, is back in London, for the second time, to take over five notable stages — Sadler's Wells, The Royal Ballet and Opera, Tate Modern and the Southbank Centre.
Including 10 premieres, 15 productions, 38 performances and 350+ dancers, Van Cleef & Arpels continues to unite the Maison with contemporary dance and we’re here for it!
London sparked the conversation between dance and jewellery, bringing its shared expression of movement to light, after the French luxury jewellery company hosted their first edition of the Dance Reflections in 2022. Van Cleef & Arpels festival quickly grew into a global sensation, and has since been staged in Hong Kong, New York, Kyoto and Saitama. Now, contemporary dance is reaching wider audiences every year, as Van Cleef & Arpels’ festival continues to showcase their passion for choreographic arts.
Rachid Ouramdane with Ballet du Grand Theatre de Geneve, Outsider, photo Gregory Batardon
This year, from 12 March to 8 April, Dance Reflections, has an exciting line-up of leading dance companies and rising talent from around the world including: Trisha Brown Dance Company; Christian Rizzo; Jules Cunningham; Pam Tanowitz; Shu Lea Cheang and Dondon Hounwn; LA HORDE with the Ballet National de Marseille; Ioannis Mandafounis with Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company; Georges Labbat; and Robyn Orlin.
Jacquelyn Tepper attended (LA)HORDE / Ballet national de Marseille’s Age of Content, sold-out, three-show-run at Sadler’s Wells East — and left calling it the ‘hottest ticket of the weekend.’ Here’s what they had to say about the performance:
Showcasing 18 brilliant dancers and incredible scenography, this 75 minute piece was filled to the brim with dynamism, character play, and a symphony of ass.
In my favorite example of technology used in dance, a gorgeous duet ensues between two entities: a dancer and a car. The dancer exhibits immense control and clarity while moving on, around, and with the car as it jolts about and drives, seemingly controlled by the player atop.
As the rest of the ensemble joins, we see the cast in masks and identical light-green Juicy Couture tracksuit sets, styled with extra bum padding, (this feels important to note), playing out a dramatically staged fight scene. The second section introduces us to each player, now individually costumed, as they re-emerge in avatar versions, interacting with one another in NPC fashion. This leads us to the third segment, a frenzy of overt sexuality and bouncing power exchanges. As they ride this out, the finale is welcomed in a loud, never-ending, purposefully overperformed choreography which sees the dancers put on both viral TikTok moves and various dance techniques.
Described by viewers as juicy and epic, you could feel the excitement in the room as everyone eagerly awaited the show to begin and excitedly stood for an ovation at its end. I, for one, do not think it disappointed and found it easily enjoyable to watch our, (sometimes shallow), internet reality shown back to us through dance.
La Horde tells us that becoming directors has brought another ‘string to our arch,’ now with the opportunity to help the community in a different way, along with the ability to curate and invite, “To empower is to actually immediately share the spaces, the resources, and the network that you’re building within the place with fellow artists.” For them, dance has become ‘not only the medium, but the subject.’
Our second show in review, written by Taylor Anderson, explores Hagay Dreaming — a mesmeric, techno reimagining of a Taiwanese folkloric tale. Taking place at the Tate Modern, the performance made its mark on day four of Dance Reflections.
Shu Lea Cheang + Dondon Hounwyn's Hagay Dreaming, photo Hsuan Lang Lin (林軒朗)
The piece, a collaboration of two artists - director Shu Lea Cheang and shaman Dondon Hounwn - is a futuristic dreamscape of a hunter learning ancestral wisdom by non-binary spirits. The performance playfully explores gender through the dancers’ movements, androgynous costumes, and even the simple act of applying lipstick – which becomes a dominant section. These elements gently encourage the audience to remain open-minded and receptive to the wonders of the story unfolding before them.
Dramatic set transformations switch up the stage, shifting from fantasy forest to Mission Impossible-style laser quest levels. It’s a spectacular piece that visually dips into the sci-fi genre but at times can feel a little drawn out when the pace slows. However, the addition of live singing that sent chills down the spine, hypnotic choreography, beautiful projections of butterflies and trees on concrete walls elevates the performance to a theatrical avant-garde high art piece.
Serge Laurent, VCA director of dance and culture programmes photo by Marc de Groot
Serge Laurent, Van Cleef & Arpels’ Director of Dance and Culture Programs emphasises their continued support for pushing the boundaries and connecting people with creations, “[contemporary art] is really approaching a new territory, and I think if you are curious enough, it’s very exciting to be exposed to things you don’t understand.”
Van Cleef & Arpels embraces their festival as a chance to captivate and inspire a wide audience with their love for choreographic arts. The dynamic program offers curated repertory works, dance workshops, artist forums and awareness-raising initiatives.
Defining art movement in a beautiful way Laurent says, “Dance can be an art discipline in itself - no music, no theatre, just the pure movement, you can have a dancer right here making a beautiful piece and at the same time, it’s an artform that can bring together all the others.”
There’s your glimpse into the first week of Dance Reflections, with two more weeks left of pure talent to embrace. Get your take on the Dance Reflection Festival and grab your tickets now
